An old saying holds that if you can’t be found online, you don’t exist. Given the growing dominance of online shopping platforms in retail, this adage is becoming more relevant by the day.
If you’re a retailer, this should be interpreted in the following way: At this point in your business, having an online shop is essential to making money and realizing the full potential of what you do.
To build a website for an online shop, what is the process that must be followed?
You may think of it this way: It’s creating an online shop for your business so that you can sell digital products to particular clients. For an e-commerce website to be successful, you must organize, develop, and arrange your content and products.
A growing number of customers and companies are making their purchases online, a sign that e-commerce is on the verge of becoming a reality. Walmart’s internet sales increased by 97 percent in 2020. Amazon’s second quarter saw a 40% increase in sales and earnings. Businesses of all sizes have reaped the benefits of the rise in internet shopping, not just the largest enterprises. Smaller retailers like Howards Storage World and B-Wear Sportswear, among others, have seen a significant increase in e-commerce sales over the last year.
Is there anything else you can think of in common between these three firms? Customer conversion is a top priority when designing new and cutting-edge e-commerce websites for their unique and advanced designs
Here’s how you can join the growing number of online retailers that consistently meet or even exceed their yearly sales objectives through the internet.
How to Create an E-Commerce Website That’s Both Attractive and Highly Effective
A good e-commerce platform is essential regardless of what kind of e-commerce website you want to build; it’s the first thing you need to get started.
Open-source, hosted, and hybrid e-commerce systems are three of the most popular options on the market today.
A business model without a leader: SaaS
These toolsets allow you to develop an online store with features like a page builder, payment gateway integration, and more.
A SaaS platform may expedite the creation of an online store’s design from start to finish. However, the drawback is that there is limited opportunity for customization, and you can’t add any unique elements to your business utilizing a drag-and-drop graphic editor.
To put it another way, open source platforms are like blank canvases that can be converted into any online store. On the other side, you must have a designer and a developer ready since you are building everything from scratch.
With a powerful backend commerce engine, headless commerce platforms allow you to create unique shopping experiences on every device. This is achievable because of the platform’s headless design. With headless commerce, the frontend and backend are entirely separate from one another, unlike typical e-commerce platforms. As a result, you may switch platforms at any time. However, a more complex process does need the deployment of other systems.
Regardless of the shop builder you choose, to begin with, the features listed below must be included in your first selection.
Mobile-friendly
The success of an eCommerce website is directly related to its mobile responsiveness. It’s estimated that about 75 percent of buyers quit websites that aren’t optimized for mobile when they find out they can’t finish the shopping process on their cell phones. A flexible e-commerce platform may ensure that site visitors using any, and all sorts of devices have a fantastic experience while using the site without placing any constraints on the layout.
Customization is possible
The word “beautiful” is loaded and may mean many different things to different people. While “excellent looks” might mean a user-friendly layout, appealing font, icons, crisp visuals, or other features that differentiate your business from your rivals in the online marketplace, “good looks” can also mean something else entirely.
It’s impossible to stand out from the crowd if your e-commerce platform doesn’t provide a wide range of customization options and ready-to-use templates that you may tailor to your brand’s specifications.
An easy-to-navigate online experience
With the help of various user interface (UI) components, your website visitors may easily traverse your site. Product category pages, filters, and on-site searches are all included in these aspects. Let’s say that the eCommerce platform you’re using makes it difficult for you to create custom navigational paths. As a result, you’ll have a site that appears good but is essentially useless to your customers, and they won’t want to use it. Your conversion rate will drop as a consequence.
Having a high-quality and user-friendly website may make all the difference between a consumer merely browsing and a customer completing a purchase. The BigCommerce platform‘s simple and user-friendly design makes it easy for customers to complete their purchases on any device. We’ve simplified the process of creating an online purchase, which was previously difficult.
Creates an engaging experience for the user
Customers are encouraged to complete their purchases and return to the store for more. What is it about a brand that elicits such joy and, as a result, elevates it to the next level of competition? Even the most effective marketing methods won’t assist if your website doesn’t satisfy their expectations.
Business-to–business e-commerce has distinct design considerations.
To build an efficient website, you must first have a clear idea of your target audience and how best to communicate with them. To complete a transaction, both B2B and B2C e-commerce platforms cater to the needs of companies and consumers, respectively. There are, however, a few alternative ways to get there.
Businesses that sell directly to customers should first and foremost focus on gaining consumer awareness of their brand. If your website has a vast online presence and a well-known brand name, you’ll be able to reach a more significant share of the entire market.
Individual clients’ differing objectives
Demand is the driving force behind sales, whether you’re selling to businesses or to consumers. However, the underlying motivations for each of these needs are diverse.
B2B customer intent is driven by a company’s goals, which are backed by various persons (stakeholders, teams, customers of the organization, and end-users). It takes longer to conduct product research and develop a more detailed set of criteria for evaluating new products when there are more people to please. The top and middle of the funnel (TOFU and MOFU) are critical for B2B eCommerce websites because this is where visitors are most likely to be converted into customers. This can be done through a combination of online (email marketing and eBooks) and offline (telephone consultations and in-person demonstrations, for example) sales strategies.
The process of making a purchase
Buying from one company to another is generally a multi-step process that includes end-users, purchasing agents, and decision-makers. When it comes to an online store, content, interactive on-site features, and accompanying marketing materials must all be used to illustrate how your items can suit all of the organization’s demands. That is to say, it should include information and proof that your solutions can fulfill all of an organization’s requirements. Keep in mind that your company’s ultimate goal is to generate leads rather than close a deal quickly.
Most importantly, B2C clients constantly investigate and make unofficial judgments about new items. An offer worth taking advantage of comes perilously near to being taken advantage of by them. Web sites supporting business-to-consumer e-commerce must thus facilitate the discovery of new items and arouse a sense of immediacy in their visitors.
It’s all about the end-user experience.
B2C and B2B customers need a good user experience, but it’s crucial to keep in mind the differences in their motivations and the processes required in purchasing.
Don’t forget, we have a team of BigCommerce experts, so if you ever need support or have any questions, please contact us at manish@bay20.com or call us at +91-8800519180
